Cloud computing generally refers to server-based computing resources that are accessible via a computing network, such as a wide area network, Internet, or the like. The computing resources may include applications that may be executed on remotely accessible servers, termed cloud servers; data storage; and the like. In a cloud environment, all processing and data storage may take place on the cloud servers and associated storage devices. As such, it is not necessary for users of cloud computing resources to locally store data or execute the applications being utilized.
Cloud computing resources may generally be susceptible to being adapted to serve a given demand or need, for example by providing additional processing or storage resources. However, because the demand place on a cloud application can vary with time, it is necessary to manage the resources that are available. If the available resources are insufficient for a given demand, performance of the cloud application may be compromised. Conversely, if the available cloud resources greatly excel the demand, the resources may be wasted, resulting in unnecessary costs or lost opportunity in which the resources could have been applied to other needs. Burst activity, in which the demand placed on resources may increase very rapidly, for example, increasing may many multiples or orders of magnitude over the course of minutes or a few hours, can create many challenges to cloud resource management.